First of all, one must be able not to just read the Constitution, but to understand it and why it was written. The Second Amendment is the ‘Second Amendment’ for a reason, and that is because it is so vitally important for the protection of the people against the criminal element, and an out-of-control government.

Gun violence takes place mainly in the overpopulated cities where out-of-control gangs murder each other daily, with Chicago and Detroit being two of the four cities highest in gun violence. And these cities are the ones with the toughest gun laws.

Remove them from the equation, and America is close to the bottom in shooting deaths. We don’t hear about these shootings because there is nothing to gain politically.

But when it happens in a smaller town, it can be used for political gain. Just check what the people of Roseburg, Ore., had to say after the Oct. 1 shooting at Umpqua Community College. The police, as good as they are, cannot protect everyone, and that is why we have a Second Amendment. Our founders knew this, and it hasn’t changed.

The National Rifle Association is a big supporter of the Second Amendment, and teaches more gun safety classes in America than any other organization.

Remove guns from the citizenry, and only criminals and the government will have guns. History shows that after gun confiscation, many countries have had mass genocide, Germany and China to name just two.

As Patrick Henry said, “A gun, like any other source of power, is a force for either good or evil, being neither in itself, but dependent upon those who possess it.”